Hi friends, this week I’ll be archiving The Society. I'm simplifying my life and fully focusing on my Coaching Program community. Right now they are thriving and deserve my full attention. My vision for this group was always bigger than image sharing. I wanted to build a collaborative community with me, other Pros, and members who wanted to break out of the social media paradigm of vanity, likes and follows. I wanted to create a community built on conversations and relationships, online and offline. To keep that vision alive would require many hours of teaching, support, and collaboration, and right now, I simply don’t have the time (or resources) to sustain it. I plan to have an oil painting focused community soon. That is the next stage in my evolution so I will dedicate my hours and labor to this new chapter in my life. If you are interested in that, please follow me on my new website (I will start writing beautiful articles there again) and join my free email list. That is where I will do my teaching and guiding for now. Thank you for being part of this. Skool is still in it's infancy, but I know it will become as mainstream as Facebook. As censorship of nude figurative art and beautiful realism as a whole continues to rise, the mass of artists like me will eventually migrate here. So thank you for being a pioneer with me. To those who resonate with me and align with my mission to build a sanctuary for beauty online I hope to meet you again. Much love and peace be with you until we meet again.❤️🤝

I noticed something beautiful while reading introductions from members here; many of us started caring about art, or came back to it seriously, during the pandemic. That time, though full of fear and uncertainty, seems to have reminded so many people of what truly matters. Hardships can quietly turn our minds toward beauty and joy, almost like an inner call to create something healing when the world feels heavy. I’m one of those people too. During that period, I found myself drawing again, not for any goal, but simply to feel alive and connected. It’s amazing how art becomes both our shelter and our voice. Did anyone else have a similar experience? ✨ Since Halloween is near, I wanted to share a master study I did a few years ago, inspired by Arthur Rackham. This piece, The Story-Teller, was originally drawn for Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving (1819). I didn’t read the story, but I loved the composition and the inking style, so I gave it a try using a brush pen with a few digital enhancements.

This painting has been in my easel for a while....pretty pleased with it so far... It's based off a black and white photograph of Christoph Waltz with a bit of Sherlock Holmes thrown in with the overcoat and a teeny nod to Miami Vice with the open shirt... I'm going to let it sit for a while before I declare it finished. 😊.

This is my second oil portrait study, where I focused on exploring brushwork, refining values, and capturing just enough likeness without getting lost in detail. With each layer, I learn a bit more about restraint, rhythm, and how emotion can emerge from the simplest interplay of light and shadow. Still learning — and still enjoying the process.

I can't post this on instagram even with black dots on the nipples. I will still get a ban. So there you go a sexually offensive sketch for you. You have to be 40+ to look at it. I believe it is 1.5 years old or so. This is highly textured paper which makes detail VERY tough at a small size. I just wanted to let the grey shine through and be subtle with my whites. I also wanted to capture the stretch in her arms and neck. It is amazing how I have to change my drawing process depending on the paper I use. I am very much a material dude so I try it all. I will give this paper another try for sure. Just bigger.